Kael Vane was amazed at how fast the king got his information. What happened at the city gate had already reached his ears. A king who could build a kingdom this strong right next to a forest of monsters—and who dared to hunt a dragon—was really something.
But Erza quickly composed herself. "Your Majesty, if you've already made these plans, why post an SS-Rank request for us?"
The king explained, "The reason is simple. The dragon's seal is deep in the Great Forest of Monsters. The beasts in that part of the forest have been altered by the dragon's power for hundreds of years. They've all become terrifying monsters. I sent an army in once, and our losses were huge. We can't even reach the temple without dealing with those monsters first."
"So our job is to clear out those monsters?" Erza asked.
The king nodded. "Yes. But that's not the main mission. Your main mission is to protect the dragon-slaying swordsman—or more accurately, protect the sword."
"Your Majesty, shouldn't you report this to the Magic Council?" Erza asked. A magic dragon was a magical problem, and the Council was responsible for such matters.
At the mention of the Council, the king's expression turned cold. "The Magic Council? I reported this two years ago. Do you know what their solution was?"
Kael and Erza looked at him, waiting.
"They wanted to use Etherion."
"Etherion!!" Erza's face changed. Etherion was the Magic Council's ultimate weapon. It was a satellite weapon that could strike anywhere on the continent, with enough power to erase an entire country.
"Exactly!" the king said, his voice sharp. "Who knows if Etherion could even kill the dragon? But firing it would definitely risk destroying this city. And even if the city survived, it would still destroy the Great Forest of Monsters. That forest is our kingdom's most important resource. If it's destroyed, our economy will collapse."
Kael Vane thought about it. That made sense. The kingdom lived under the threat of the forest, but it also grew strong because of it. Losing that resource would be a disaster.
"I have told you everything about this mission," the king said. "What is your decision?"
Erza looked at Kael Vane. "Kael, what do you think?"
Kael was silent for a moment. He knew how terrifying dragons were. Even a weakened dragon was still far beyond normal enemies. Human magic barely worked, and a dragon's body was tough enough that ordinary weapons might not even break the skin.
Without that sword, their chances were nearly nonexistent. With it… they might have a real shot.
Normally, he should quit. But he was excited. He felt a strong urge to do this. Dragon slaying—just hearing those words was enough to make his blood heat up.
And he couldn't forget the two ten-pulls from the system.
"I think we should try it."
Erza nodded slowly. "Mm… I think so too. His Majesty isn't going to give up on this. And he's right—if the dragon breaks free and recovers, it will attack humans. I can't just ignore that."
"Your Majesty," Erza said, "we've decided."
"And your decision is?" the king asked.
"We will take this mission."
"Good!" The king looked genuinely pleased. He didn't know their full strength, but they were wizards willing to take on high-level missions. That alone raised the plan's chances.
"You can stay in the palace for now," the king said. "The preliminaries for the tournament are tomorrow. If you're interested, you may enter. The prizes are substantial. After a winner is chosen, we will begin the dragon hunt."
Erza declined politely. "No, thank you, Your Majesty. We'll stay at a hotel. We'd like to see the city."
The king nodded. "Alright."
Kael Vane and Erza left the palace and found a nearby hotel.
Kael was exhausted from the three-day trip. He fell asleep the moment he reached his room and slept until the next morning.
When he woke up, Erza was gone. She must have gone out to explore. Kael decided to look around too—and maybe buy a few things while he was at it.
As soon as he left the hotel, he saw noisy crowds in the streets, all walking in the same direction.
He listened for a moment and remembered: the king's tournament preliminaries were today. These people were going to watch.
Even though he had Yoriichi's memories, he was still a rookie with a sword in real combat. He wasn't planning to enter and embarrass himself.
But he was interested in big events, so he followed the crowd to the arena.
Before long, he arrived at the entrance.
Like everything else in this country, the arena was massive—easily larger than any stadium he had seen in his previous life.
"Registration for the preliminaries closes in ten minutes! If you haven't registered, do it now!" someone shouted.
"I heard the King is offering huge prize money for this," another person said.
"How much?"
"First place gets 20,000,000 J!"
"20,000,000 J?!"
"Yeah! That's why so many masters from all over the place have come to compete!"
"This is going to be incredible!"
"For sure! I can't wait!"
At the registration desk…
"Well… time is almost up. Looks like that's everyone."
Suddenly, a voice called out, cutting through the noise.
"Wait! I want to register! I want to enter the tournament!"
The clerk looked up. "Your name?"
"Yoriichi Tsugikuni."